The Lincoln County Board of Education unanimously voted today to amend its contract with the Stanford Police Department and add three additional school resource officers. This amendment will now allow for a dedicated SRO at all seven schools in the district.
The board voted back in the summer to add a fourth SRO with the goal of eventually getting one SRO on all seven campuses once the resources were in place. “School safety was one of my top priorities coming into this position back in July, and I’m thankful our board feels the same way and together we are working toward making our schools safer by making this decision today,” said Superintendent Bruce Smith.
“House Bill 63, School Safety and Resiliency Act, states at least one school resource officer should be placed at each school campus in Kentucky. It also dictates that schools that can’t afford SROs at every campus or that lack qualified personnel can meet with the state school marshal and devise a plan,” said Lincoln County Schools Director of Transportation and School Safety Coordinator Jeff Craiger. “We had been working with our state marshall and continuously seek advice and feedback from their office. This (HB 63) was a great decision for our schools but it was also an unfunded mandate when it was pushed out, meaning districts have to find a way to pay for it. It’s also not easy finding seven people who meet the qualifications for the Stanford Police Department.”
SPD Chief Zach Middleton acknowledged finding qualified staff is difficult but he is optimistic. “I believe, however, we will be able to fully staff these positions in time." Chief Middleton also added that he, along with other SPD officers, would be providing extra patrolling of the schools in the meantime. “This is something we have been doing for a long time. Just because we have not had a dedicated person at each school in the past doesn’t mean we didn’t have coverage there. You will even see me out at the schools on a weekly basis helping our SROs. We care about the kids and the teachers and so do the board and district administrators. This is a team effort.”
At the special called board meeting, SPD Captain Ryan Kirkpatick spoke about the importance of the SRO program to the board. “SROs in schools are like the bullet proof vest we wear. It doesn’t mean bad things won’t still happen, it just means that more likely than not the outcome will be better with an SRO there."
The total cost of providing seven SROs will be around $320,000 per school year. The district will also need to provide two additional vehicles for SROs to use. This money will come from the general fund. No funds are allocated by the state to cover these costs.
Today’s landmark decision will make Lincoln County Schools one of the few districts in the state with an allocation for an SRO at every school. According to data released in last year’s annual report only 51% of school campuses statewide had a dedicated SRO.